Methods of reducing greenhouse gases in landfills and coal mines

ABSTRACT

A method of reducing greenhouse gases while simultaneously generating carbon credits includes mitigating greenhouse gases at unregulated landfill sites or mitigating greenhouse gases at regulated landfill sites in excess of the required mitigation activities, obtaining carbon credits in an amount created by the mitigation efforts and selling or using the carbon credits in an open market to, for example, offset the costs of the mitigation efforts or to fund or support other greenhouse gas emission activities.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/043,786, filed on Mar. 6, 2008, which is a non-provisionalapplication claiming priority benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/893,345, filed on Mar. 6, 2007. The entiredisclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/043,786 and60/893,345 are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to a method of reducing the emissionsof greenhouse gases in landfills and coal mines, and more specificallyto a method of generating carbon credits while reducing greenhouse gasesat various sites, such as landfills and coal mines.

BACKGROUND

Generally speaking, “global warming” refers to the observed increase inthe average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans in recentdecades and the projected continuation of this increase in temperatures.Models referenced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) predict that global temperatures are likely to increase by 1.1°to 6.4° C. (2.0° to 11.5° F.) between 1990 and 2100. The uncertainty inthis range results from two factors, namely, differing future greenhousegas (GHG) emission scenarios, and uncertainties regarding climatesensitivity.

Global average near-surface atmospheric temperature rose 0.74±0.18degrees Celsius (1.3±0.32 degrees Fahrenheit) in the last century. Theprevailing scientific opinion on climate change is that most of theobserved increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20thcentury is very likely to be due to the observed increase inanthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations, leading to a warming of theEarth's surface and lower atmosphere by increasing the greenhouseeffect. Greenhouse gases are released by activities such as the burningof fossil fuels, land clearing, agriculture, and the natural decay oftrash in landfills.

Greenhouse gases are components of the atmosphere that contribute to thegreenhouse effect. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in theatmosphere, while others result from human activities. Naturallyoccurring greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane,nitrous oxide, and ozone. Certain human activities, however, add to thelevels of most of these naturally occurring gases. For example,decomposition of trash placed into a landfill is an anaerobic processthat produces methane gas which, in turn, leaves the landfill aslandfill gas. The amount of methane gas created from decompositiondepends on a number of factors, but is generally proportional to thecomposition and amount of trash placed within the landfill. Thus, eachton of trash at a given composition that is placed into a landfillcreates a predictable amount of methane gas. However, owners oflandfills will often not take action to mitigate the greenhouse gases(such as methane gas) produced in a landfill because the costs of suchmitigation are too high, and in many cases such mitigation actions arenot required by the governmental regulating bodies which regulatelandfill operations.

However, there is currently a global focus on reducing GHG emissions. Infact, both international and national initiatives are currently in forceand others are pending or under consideration. One example of a globaleffort to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases on the global climateis the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention onClimate Change, which is an amendment to the international treaty onclimate change, assigning mandatory targets (GHG targets) for thereduction of greenhouse gas emissions to signatory nations. The KyotoProtocol includes flexible mechanisms which allow some economies to meettheir GHG targets by purchasing GHG emission reductions (often called“carbon credits”) from elsewhere. These carbon credits can be bought orotherwise obtained either via financial exchanges (such as the new EUEmissions Trading Scheme) or from projects which reduce emissions inother economies.

Although several countries (most notably the United States) have not yetand may never ratify the Kyoto Protocol, there are also privateinitiatives in, for example, the United States where units of thegovernment and private companies can voluntarily agree to reduce theirGHG emissions. While joining the program is voluntary, members of thisprogram have legally enforceable requirements for GHG reductions.Currently, this initiative is administered by the Chicago ClimateExchange (CCX). The CCX also hosts a trading exchange which facilitatesthe sale of carbon credits by members who do not release the amount ofallowed GHG, and which facilitates the purchase of emission reductions(carbon credits) by members who are not able to achieve their requiredGHG reductions through their own operations. GHG reduction projectsanywhere in the world are eligible for trading carbon credits on theCCX.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with thedrawing figures, in which:

FIG. 1. is a schematic representation of methods of generatinggreenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction credits.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of different ways of reducingmethane emissions to generate GHG emission reduction credits.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a low cost concentrator used toprocess wastewater.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a second low cost concentratorused to process wastewater.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a method of reducing GHG emissions andgenerating carbon credits at an unregulated landfill.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by creating and accountingfor greenhouse gas emission reduction credits is described herein.Although greenhouse gas emission reduction credits are referred tohereinafter as “carbon credits,” greenhouse (as emission reductions donot have to be related to the reduction of “carbon” emissions per se,but can be related to the reduction of other greenhouse gas emissions.The method includes performing an initial site evaluation which mayinclude, in part, measuring the amount of greenhouse gases emitted fromthe site and an analysis of mitigation measures already employed at thesite, including mitigation of other undesirable by-products, such aslandfill leachate or other wastewater. Often these other mitigationmeasures, such as treating landfill leachate, consume fossil fuels as anenergy source to treat the undesirable by products. After the initialsite evaluation, the carbon credit potential of the site may becalculated by determining how much methane or other greenhouse gas (GHG)can be converted or used to power mitigation processes already in place,if any. Once the carbon credit potential is calculated, an applicationmay be submitted to the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) (or other carboncredit market entity) describing the proposed process and potentialreduction of GHG emissions from the site.

At some point, such as when the CCX (or other carbon market entity)approves the application, an economic analysis of the project isconducted in which the carbon credits are accounted for in the overallbudgeting process. Often, these carbon credits may turn an unprofitablesite into a profitable site while improving the environment by at leastpartially offsetting the costs of installing GHG emission reductionequipment. Once it is determined that GHG emission reduction at a siteis economically feasible (including accounting for the carbon credits),appropriate equipment is installed at a site and is operated to reducethe overall emission of greenhouse gases according to the application,thereby generating carbon credits, which may then be issued and traded(or sold) on an exchange such as the CCX.

Turning now to FIG. 1, at least four methods of generating carboncredits 10 are available under the Kyoto Protocol or the CCX. A firstmethod 20, which is probably the most effective way to reduce GHGemissions and thereby produce carbon credits, is to destroy methane oravoid methane generation. Methane is generally destroyed by burning themethane. Carbon credits for methane destruction or avoidance aregenerally available for any site (e.g., landfill) where there is nocurrent regulatory requirement to destroy methane or avoid methanegeneration. Carbon credits are also available for regulated sites thatimplement methane destruction or avoidance procedures which exceedregulatory requirements. Methane generation is generally avoided byreducing the amount of trash available for decomposition in a landfill.

A second method 30 of generating carbon credits is to use renewable fuelsources instead of fossil fuels for some process. In particular, carboncredits are available when a process that consumes fossil fuel isswitched to consume a renewable fuel, such as landfill gas. One likelytechnology available to use landfill gas as a fuel source includes theimplementation of submerged gas evaporators/processors (SGE/SGP) asshown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,482 and U.S. Patent Publication No.2004/0040671, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.Commercial examples of such SGEs are Liquid Solutions' E-VAP™ andRE-VAP™ technology. Other technologies which may be available to uselandfill gas or other renewable fuel sources include power generationsystems and/or waste heat recovery systems used in, for example,industrial/commercial facilities. Those in the carbon reduction industryrefer to these carbon credits as “fuel switch” credits.

A third method 40 of generating carbon credits is to improve currenttechnology to reduce the GHG outputs of such technology, such asdeveloping cleaner burning power plants (i.e., those which reduce GHGemissions) and more efficient automobile engines. Carbon credits arealso available to those who reduce emission when technology improvementsdecrease the amount of energy used to perform the same function (i.e.,when implementing a more efficient process). Carbon credits generated bysuch activities and issued by a carbon credit trading authority (e.g.,CCX) may be used to at least partially offset the research anddevelopment costs of improving the current technology and the cost ofimplementing the technology.

A fourth method 50 of generating carbon credits is to sequestergreenhouse gas emissions before they are released to atmosphere. Thesequestering of greenhouse gas emissions may be accomplished by usingsubmerged gas reactors that process carbon dioxide in an exhaust gas byreacting the carbon dioxide with an alkali to form a carbonate saltthereby removing carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas and sequesteringthe carbon dioxide in a different molecular form (e.g., sodiumcarbonate) for re-use or disposal. An example of a commerciallyavailable submerged gas reactor is Liquid Solutions' RE-VAP system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a number of different processes or areas wheremethane destruction or avoidance 20 is effective in reducing GHGemissions and thereby generating carbon credits. There are at least twomethods of reducing methane generated by landfills, which aresignificant generators of methane. In particular, methane production canbe reduced by (1) reducing the amount of trash put into a landfill,thereby reducing the amount of methane produced in the landfill, and (2)processing the methane to produce a less potent greenhouse gas.

In the first case, when trash is placed into a landfill 60, thedecomposition process, which is an anaerobic process, produces methanegas that leaves the landfill 60 as landfill gas. The amount of methanegas created from the decomposition process depends on a number offactors, but is generally proportional to amount of trash placed intothe landfill. Thus, each ton of trash deposited into a landfill producesa predictable amount of methane gas. Conversely, each ton of trash thatwould have otherwise been placed into a landfill, but is instead usedfor some other purpose, reduces the amount of methane gas generated byan amount generally proportional to the amount of trash not placed intothe landfill 60 as is illustrated by the block 52 of FIG. 2. There aresome technologies that can be used to reduce the amount of trash thatneeds to be placed into a landfill 60, including converting the trash tofuel, composting the trash, and/or recycling the trash. Thus, reducingthe amount of trash put into a landfill 60 is a way of generating carboncredits through methane avoidance.

In one example of diverting biodegradable wastes from landfills, thebiodegradable waste may be converted into refuse derived fuel (RDF). RDFdiverts biodegradable material from landfills thereby avoiding methaneproduction within the landfill while providing a renewable fuel that iseasy to transport and may be used as a substitute for fossil fuels.Trash can be converted to fuel by preparing the trash in ashredder/compactor and compressing the trash to produce compact RDF thatmay be used as an energy source in place of fossil fuel. For example,the shredder/compactor may produce RDF in a variety of forms, pellets,briquettes, fuel rods, etc.

In another example of diverting biodegradable wastes from landfills,digesters may be used to treat solid and liquid organic wastes such asmanure, liquid and food wastes (e.g., animal and vegetable fats), etc.produced in agricultural operations to reduce the natural uncontrolledrelease of methane to atmosphere wherever the solid and liquid organicwastes decompose under anaerobic conditions such as within soil orpiles. Methane produced in the controlled anaerobic environment withindigesters is captured and may be applied to a wide range of processes.Wherever applied, if the use of energy from the methane generated in adigester displaces the use of fossil fuels, carbon credits may begenerated.

Another way to reduce the methane gas emitted from landfills is toprocess the methane gas 54 to convert the methane gas into a less potentGHG. For example, simply burning the methane in a flare reduces thegreenhouse effect because the products of the combustion CO₂ and H₂Ohave a less significant greenhouse effect than the methane gas itself.Methane gas is a substantially more potent GHG emission than CO₂ or H₂Oand converting methane gas to other products, such as CO₂ and H₂Oreduces the greenhouse effect.

Similarly, it is possible to reduce GHG emissions by processing methanegas produced in abandoned coal mines 70. In particular, methane gas,which is found in many coal seams, is released to the atmosphere whenthe coal seam is disturbed, both during mining operations and aftermining operations have ceased. In some cases, the methane gas can beeconomically recovered. In other cases, destruction of the methane maybe required by regulation. However, there are many locations wheredestruction of the methane gas is not required nor currently financiallyviable.

Another method of reducing GHG emissions is to implement a productrecovery process 80, such as the recovery of methanol. Methanol, whichis an industrial chemical used in many applications, is commonlymanufactured from natural gas. Often, methanol is used for cleaning orother processes where the methanol is not consumed. In many cases, thespent methanol is disposed of in, for example an incinerator or otherwaste treatment process. However, it is possible in many cases tocollect and recover spent methanol and then to convert the spentmethanol back to a commercial grade methanol. Because the most commonlyused process for manufacturing methanol consumes large quantities ofnatural gas, each gallon of recovered or converted methanol reduces theamount of natural gas consumed. Further, if spent methanol is recoveredin a process that includes a distillation stage employing waste heat orheat energy produced from a renewable energy source such as the methanefound in landfill gas, additional reductions in the use of natural gasand/or other fossil fuels may be realized. The substitution of energyderived from waste heat or a renewable fuel source is an avoidance ofthe additional greenhouse gas emissions (carbon credit) that would haveresulted from the direct use of fossil fuel in the distillation process.

Current U.S. regulations force landfills over a certain size to collectand treat gases generated by the landfill. However, this type ofregulation leaves a large number of smaller landfills unregulated as tocollection and treatment of landfill gas. Often, owners of non-regulatedsites, such as non-regulated landfills, take minimal or no action tomitigate greenhouse gas emissions because the costs of mitigation yieldminimal or negative return on investment. Moreover, in the case of manyregulated landfills, only the minimum required landfill gas controltreatment, such as burning the landfill gas in a flare is implemented.

As will be understood, using various techniques with various underlyingtechnologies, non-economically viable sites such as landfills, coalmines, etc., may be modified to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasesin an economically viable manner based on the incorporation, creation,accounting for and selling of carbon credits. In other words, the valueof the carbon credits at least partially offsets the costs of installingand maintaining greenhouse gas emission reducing equipment. Often, thecarbon credits alone have enough value to make collection and disposalof greenhouse gases at landfills and other sites profitable.Furthermore, even regulated sites can benefit from these techniques ascollection and conversion of greenhouse gases above and beyond theregulated requirements may be accomplished to generate carbon credits.

One method of reducing greenhouse gases and thereby generating carboncredits is to beneficially utilize landfill gas to process landfillleachate in, for example, a submerged combustion gas evaporator (SGE),such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,482 and U.S. PatentPublication No. 2004/0040671 (FIG. 5). Because combustion gasevaporators evaporate liquids by injecting hot combustion gas into aliquid, switching the combustion gas in such an evaporator from a fossilfuel to a renewable gas (e.g., substituting methane generated inlandfills or digesters for natural gas) reduces greenhouse gas emissionsand thereby provides a basis for generating carbon credits. These carboncredits currently trade for $0.5 to $2 per ton on the CCX, although thevalue of the carbon credits will fluctuate in accordance with supply anddemand on the exchange. A typical submerged combustion gas evaporatortreating 10,000 gallons per day of leachate that employs a landfill gasflare to treat exhaust vapor reduces greenhouse gas emissions by about170 metric tonnes per day of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO_(2e)),thereby creating a number of carbon credits and thus providing asignificant economic incentive in producing the credits. Often, thecreation, accounting for, and selling of carbon credits are enough toturn a non-profitable landfill gas to energy project into a profitableone.

Another method of generating carbon credits while disposing of landfillgas is evaporating waste water (such as landfill leachate) withrelatively compact, inexpensive gas liquid contacting devices that runon renewable fuels, such as landfill gas. Two such low costconcentrators are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each concentrator includes agas inlet 220, 320, a gas exit 222, 322 and a flow corridor 224, 324connecting the gas inlet 220, 320 and a gas exit 222, 322. The flowcorridor 224, 324 includes a narrowed portion 226, 326 that acceleratesthe gas through the flow corridor 224, 324. A liquid inlet 230, 330injects liquid into the gas stream at a point prior to the narrowedportion 226, 326. The gas liquid combination is thoroughly mixed withinthe flow corridor 224, 324 and a portion of the liquid is evaporated atthe adiabatic system temperature. A demister 234 (or cyclonic mixingchamber 352) downstream of the narrowed portion 226, 326 removesentrained liquid droplets from the gas stream and re-circulates theremoved liquid to the liquid inlet 230, 330 through a re-circulatingcircuit 242, 342 driven by pumps 240, 340. Fresh liquid is introducedinto the re-circulating circuit 242, 342 via an inlet 244, 344 at a ratesufficient to offset the amount of liquid evaporated in the flowcorridor 224, 234. Additionally, concentrated fluid is output from there-circulating circuit 242, 342, via outlets 246, 346. Induction fans250, 350 pull gas and entrained liquid through the demister 234 and thecyclonic mixing chamber 352 to the gas exits 222, 322. In FIG. 4, thegas is provided to the exit 322 via a hollow cylinder 356. These lowcost concentrators are generally compact and transportable because manyof the components may be manufactured from lightweight, inexpensivematerials such as, plastic or fiberglass. Thus, these concentrators maybe moved from site to site as needs dictate.

Using landfill gas to produce power (generally electricity) is anothermethod of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thereby generatingcarbon credits while disposing of landfill gas, because the powergenerating equipment is not using fossil fuels as it normally would be.Such power generation equipment can be used in conjunction with theabove mentioned submerged combustion gas evaporators (i.e., thecombustion gas used in the SGE is taken directly from the powergenerating equipment) and low cost concentrators. In this manner,depending on the regulatory status of the landfill, the carbon creditsgenerated may be additive: once for the destruction of the methane gasand again for the generation of power from a renewable energy source.Furthermore, the power generated may be sold on the open market for anadditional profit.

Moreover, waste heat generated by such power generating equipment may berecovered and reused by a heat recovery system, thereby further reducinggreenhouse gas emissions and creating additional carbon credits. Twoexample waste heat recovery systems are shown in U.S. patent applicationSer. Nos. 11/114,822 and 11/114,493, both of which are herebyincorporated by reference. In this case, the recovered waste heat may betransported to a nearby industry for use (FIG. 5). Again, such a methodgenerates carbon credits because the waste heat, generated by arenewable fuel, is used in place of a traditional fossil fuel heatsource.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of a method of reducing greenhouse gases andgenerating carbon credits by 1) destroying more potent GHG: 2)converting conventional processes to renewable fuel sources; and 3)using waste heat in industrial operations in place of heat generated byburning fossil fuels. The value of the carbon credits generated by thisexample method may be used to at least partially offset the costs ofinstalling and maintaining the greenhouse gas emission reducingequipment. A typical small, unregulated landfill 100 is fitted with agas collection system 110 and a liquid collection system 120. Landfillgas collected by the gas collection system 110 is burned in a combustionprocess 130 that may be a flare or other combustion process such as anengine, thus reducing the greenhouse effects of the methane byconverting the methane into CO₂ and H₂O and further generating carboncredits in the process. Landfill leachate collected by the liquidcollection system 120 is transported to a Submerged Gas Evaporator (SGE)or a low cost concentrator 140. The SGE or low cost concentrator 140uses the exhaust gas from the combustion process 130 to process andevaporate the leachate delivered by the liquid collection system 120.Thus, the SGE or low cost concentrator 140 generates carbon credits byprocessing the leachate with a renewable energy source (landfill gas)instead of using a combusted fossil fuel. Further, if caustic is addedto the leachate, CO₂ from the exhaust gas may be sequestered as sodiumcarbonate, thus further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and generatingfurther carbon credits. Over time, the carbon credits generated by thecombustion process 130 and the SGE or low cost concentrator 140 may meetor exceed the costs of installing such a system. Thus, the generation ofthe carbon credits may improve the environment by making theinstallation of greenhouse gas reducing systems and/or leachatetreatment systems economically feasible.

Additionally, waste heat 150 from the combustion process 130 may becaptured and used in an industrial process in a nearby industry 160.Using the waste heat instead of heat from burning a fossil fuelgenerates carbon credits as discussed above. Thus, the exemplary methodshown in FIG. 5 generates carbon credits in at least four differentways. First, GHG (landfill gas, i.e., methane) is destroyed generatingcarbon credits. Second, landfill gas (a renewable energy source) is usedto evaporate and treat the landfill leachate instead of burning fossilfuel to evaporate and treat the leachate. Third, CO₂ from exhaust gasmay be sequestered by chemical conversion, thus reducing the amount ofCO₂ released to the atmosphere. Fourth, waste heat from a combustiondevice is used in an industrial process that normally would use heatgenerated by burning a fossil fuel.

Thus, one general method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at, forexample, a landfill, wastewater treatment plant, coal mine or other sitethat produces greenhouse gases, including for example methane gas,includes installing and/or using gas collection technology at the siteto collect the gas, and thereafter implementing gas processingtechnology to convert the collected gas to other forms having reducedgreenhouse gas volume or potency, all at a level greater than thatrequired by the relevant regulations effecting the site. The collectedgas may be processed in a combustion process, such as in a flare orother burner to convert the gas to other materials that are less potentgreenhouse gases, and/or may be used as a fuel source to power otherprocesses which might otherwise use fossil fuels, which thereby furtherreduces the production of greenhouse gases. Still further, the wasteheat from the burning of the collected gas may be used in otherprocesses to further reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in thoseother processes, thereby further reducing the emission of greenhousegases that would otherwise be created by the use of fossil fuels orother non-renewable fuels.

As an integral part of this process, an estimate of the amount ofreduction of the greenhouse gas emissions that will be obtained as aresult of the installation and/or use of the gas collection andprocessing technology may be determined, and this estimate may be usedto apply for approval or other authorization from an appropriate carboncredit trading authority for the generation of carbon credits. After thecarbon credit creation process is approved and implemented at the site,the amount of greenhouse gas reduction actually accomplished at the sitemay be determined based on, for example, measurements of the amount ofgas collected at the site, the amount and type of gas processed orconverted to other products, the amount of fossil fuels which were notused due to the use of the collected gas as a power or energy sourceinstead, etc. These measurements, which may be based on gas volumemeasurements, gas potency or composition measurements, energymeasurements, etc., may then be used to actually obtain issuance of thecarbon credits via the credit trading authority based on the approvedprocess. Thereafter, the obtained carbon credits may be sold or tradedvia that or any appropriate trading or exchange authority, and therebyused to finance the installation and running of the gas emissionreduction technology or for any other purpose such as to offset othercarbon or greenhouse gas generating processes.

According to another method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, wastereduction technology, such as technology that reduces the amount ofwaste that needs to be placed into a landfill site, may be installed orused to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This technology may, forexample, convert the waste that would otherwise be placed into thelandfill into a usable form, such as a fuel source. In one example,appropriate types of waste may be highly compacted and later burned asfuel. In another example, certain types of the waste, such as plastics,paper products, etc., may be collected and recycled in known recyclingprocesses to reduce the waste placed into the landfill site. The amountof converted waste may then be used to determine a number of carboncredits based on a projection of the reduction of methane gas that wouldotherwise result from the decomposition of that waste in the landfillsite over time.

Still further, if the waste is converted to a fuel source, the fuelsource may be used in one or more processes instead of fossil fuels toreduce the amount of fossil fuels used to power these other processes,thereby creating the basis for additional carbon credits. Also, heat orother waste energy from the use of the waste-based fuel source may beused as energy in still other processes, thereby further reducing theamount of fossil fuels needed to implement those other processes andthus further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Again, as an integral part of this process, an estimate of the amount ofreduction of the greenhouse gas emissions that are obtained as a resultof the installation and/or use of the waste reduction technology(including the use of renewable fuel created as a by-product of thiswaste reduction technology) may be determined, and this estimate may beused to apply for approval or other authorization from an appropriatecarbon credit trading authority for the generation of carbon credits.After the carbon credit creation process is approved and implemented atthe site, the amount of greenhouse gas reduction actually accomplishedat the site may be determined based on, for example, measurements of theamount of processed or converted waste, the amount and types of fuelcreated as a result of the waste conversion process, the amount offossil fuels which were not used due to the use of the waste-based fuelas a power or energy source, etc. These measurements, which may be basedon waste reduction volume measurements, waste-based fuel productionmeasurements, waste-based fuel composition measurements, measurements ofthe energy created from the waste-based fuel, etc., may then be used toobtain carbon credits via the credit trading authority based on theapproved process. Thereafter, the obtained carbon credits may be sold ortraded via that or any appropriate trading or exchange authority, andthereby used to finance the installation and running of the wastereduction technology or for any other purpose such as to offset othercarbon or greenhouse gas generating processes.

Additionally, this method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions providesan opportunity to tailor site specific GHG reducing technology to theparticular characteristics of an existing landfill site (e.g., size,condition, existing operations, infrastructure, etc.) in order tomaximize the reduction of GHG and thus maximize the production of carboncredits.

1. A method of reducing greenhouse emissions at an abandoned coal mine,comprising: collecting a first greenhouse gas released from exposed coalseams in the abandoned coal mine prior to the first greenhouse gasentering the atmosphere outside of the abandoned coal mine; convertingat least some of the first greenhouse gas into a second, less potentgreenhouse gas; and applying for a first set of greenhouse gas emissionreduction credits for converting the at least some of the Firstgreenhouse gas into the second, less potent greenhouse gas, wherein thegreenhouse gas emission reduction credits are tradable on a financialexchange.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the at least someof the first greenhouse gas into the second, less potent greenhouse gasincludes using the first greenhouse gas as a fuel source in anadditional process or processes.
 3. The method of claim 2, furtherincluding applying for a second set of greenhouse gas emission reductioncredits for reducing the use of fossil fuels in the additional processor processes as a result of using the first greenhouse gas as the fuelsource in the additional process.
 4. A method of reducing greenhouse gasemissions at a landfill, comprising: analyzing gas mitigation measuresalready in place at the landfill; analyzing by-product mitigationmeasures already in place at the landfill; measuring the amount offossil fuel used to mitigate the by-products in the by-productmitigation measures; calculating a greenhouse gas emission reductioncredit potential for the landfill by determining the amount of the firstgreenhouse gas needed to power the by-product mitigation measures; andapplying for a first set of greenhouse gas emission reduction creditsbased on the amount of fossil fuel saved by using the first greenhousegas as a fuel for the by-product mitigation measures.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the by-product mitigation measures include landfillleachate evaporation.
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprisingaccounting for the monetary value of the greenhouse gas emissionreduction credits in an overall budgeting process when calculating acost of installing greenhouse gas emission reduction equipment.
 7. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the first greenhouse gas is methane.
 8. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising converting the first greenhousegas into a second, less potent greenhouse gas when powering theby-product mitigation measures.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereinconverting the first greenhouse gas into the second, less potentgreenhouse gas includes burning the first greenhouse gas.
 10. The methodof claim 9, further comprising diverting at least some heat generated byburning the first greenhouse gas into the by-product mitigation measuresto at least partially evaporate landfill leachate.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the landfill leachate is at least partially evaporatedin a submerged combustion gas evaporator.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein the landfill leachate is at least partially evaporated in aconcentrator having a narrowed section and a demister.
 13. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising applying for a second set of greenhouse gasreduction credits based on converting the first greenhouse gas into asecond, less potent greenhouse gas.
 14. The method of claim 8, whereinthe first greenhouse gas is burned in an electrical power generator. 15.The method of claim 14, further comprising diverting at least someexhaust from the electrical power generator into at least one of theby-product mitigation measures.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising applying for a second set of greenhouse gas emissionreduction credits based upon using the first greenhouse gas as a fuelfor creating electricity in the electrical power generator instead ofusing a fossil fuel in the electrical power generator.
 17. A method ofreducing greenhouse gas at a landfill, comprising: collecting a firstlandfill gas, which is a greenhouse gas, in a landfill gas collectionsystem; burning the collected first landfill gas, thereby forming anexhaust gas including a second, less potent greenhouse gas; collectinglandfill leachate in a landfill leachate collection system; transportingthe leachate to a landfill leachate evaporation or concentration device;diverting a first portion of the exhaust gas to the landfill leachateevaporation or concentration device, wherein latent heat in the exhaustgas at least partially evaporates the landfill leachate; and diverting asecond portion of the exhaust gas to an industrial operation and usinglatent heat in the second portion of the exhaust gas as an energy sourcein the industrial operation.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thelandfill leachate evaporation or concentration device is a submerged gasevaporator.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the landfill gas isburned in an electric power generator, and further comprising applyingfor a fourth set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits based onusing the landfill gas as a fuel source for the power generator insteadof using a fossil fuel as a fuel source for the power generator.
 20. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the landfill gas is methane and the lesspotent greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide.
 21. The method of claim 17,further comprising applying for a first set of greenhouse gas emissionreduction credits based on transforming the landfill gas into a lesspotent greenhouse gas.
 22. The method of claim 21, further comprisingapplying for a second set of greenhouse gas emission reduction creditsbased on using landfill gas as fuel in the landfill leachate evaporationor concentration device instead of using a fossil fuel in the landfillleachate evaporation or concentration device.
 23. The method of claim22, further comprising applying for a third set of greenhouse gasemission reduction credits based on using latent heat from the secondportion of the exhaust gas as an energy source in the industrialoperation instead of using energy from fossil fuel as an energy sourcein the industrial operation.